Huskies drop three in Nikiski tournament

The Kotzebue Huskies suffered a tough outing at the Nikiski Tip-Off Classic this past weekend, dropping both of their games.

The Huskies opened the tournament on Thursday with a tough 60-38 setback to the Houston Hawks.

With the loss to Houston, the Huskies slipped onto a second-round matchup against Nikiski. The Bulldogs held off a late rally to claim a 33-32 decision.

Kotzebue, which is scheduled to tip off Western Conference play later this month, managed to stay close early. The Huskies scored 10 points in the first eight minutes of the game and trailed by just two, at 12-10, at the start of the second.

Nikiski went on a 10-5 run in the second and stretched its lead to 22-15 at the half.

After battling to a 6-6 deadlock in the third, Isaiah Savok and the Husky offense managed to take control. Kotzebue pounded out an 11-5 run in the final eight minutes and pulled to within one at the final buzzer.

Savok led all Kotzebue scorers with 12 points, six of which came via two three-point shots. Thomas Baker added eight.